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| Thursday,
May 30, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Watching soccer World Cup to be expensive
Chandigarh, May 29 Live telecast of major sporting events has become a way of life for sport lovers and a business activity for pubs and bars selling beer and liquor. Huge screens are set up by pub and bar owners for important matches making fans flock to these places for some fun. For the World Cup, even if telecasts are available, residents will have to shell out at least Rs 30 more for each cable TV connection as the company having sole telecast rights, Ten Sports, is reportedly asking cable operators to pay more. In turn Siti Cable, which is the main player in the cable TV business in the city, has asked its sub-operators (operators in various sectors) to pay Rs 30 more per connection. The new
rate will be Rs 160 per connection to be billed from June. Siti Cable is the main company which pays the telecasting company and beams the signals to sub-operators across the city. The sub-operators who provide the link to homes of people pay on a per connection basis, thus making up for revenue of Siti Cable The Managing Director, Siti Cable, Mr Sandeep Bansal, justifies the hike. “We have to pay more to the company having telecast rights. Subscribers will have to pay more to watch the football World Cup.” Meetings are going on with cable operators in Punjab and Chandigarh to see what can be done. Sources in the industry said already Sony TV has jacked up the price of its package and it is now available for Rs 40, almost double of the old price. A sector 27-based cable TV operator, Mr Ravinder Pal Singh, says a large number of subscribers do not want to pay the extra sum. We still do not have the technology to beam a particular channel of the subscriber’s desire. So either Ten Sports will be beamed to all or none. The local cable TV industry is also reeling under its own losses caused by two storms in the past one week. All wires have snapped while costly amplifiers have been damaged in the rain and high-speed winds. |
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Storm hits electricity, water supply
Chandigarh, May 29 Meanwhile, for the residents rain was a welcome relief as it kept the day temperatures within comfortable limits, making people switch off their air-conditioners and coolers. The maximum temperature did not rise above 31°C. It was 8 degrees below the normal average for this time of the year, making it one of the coolest day for the month of May. Even the minimum temperature was 7 degrees below the normal at 17°C. Yesterday the maximum and minimum temperature were 32.4°C and 22°C respectively. The storm brought with it another breakdown in power supply. Several high-tension power lines. (feeders) developed snag. In several places, branches from trees had fallen on supply lines causing disruption. The worst case was of Sector 31-C when power breakdown started around 10 a.m. and the power supply could not be restored till 8 p.m. Overall, the southern sectors were the worst hit. Power supply could be completely restored only by the afternoon today, a good 10 hours after the breakdown had occurred. Several parts of the city which have tubewell-based water supply did not received any water, resulting in dry overhead tanks. On the phone front, branches of trees snapped several overhead cables. In certain pockets phones also remained dead.
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MC seeks amendment in Punjab Municipal Act Chandigarh, May 29 The resolution for a re-look into the Act was proposed by the local Congress MP, Mr Pawan Bansal, after supporting the Congress leader in the House, Mr Subhash
Chawla's, assertion that an unusual cut in the grant-in-aid had been effected by the central government this year, leading to inference that the residents of Chandigarh are being punished for preferring the Congress to the BJP. Meeting resistance from the BJP member, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, who offered all help in fighting for more grants at every level and who demanded proof against the central government's hand in the cut, Mr. Bansal showed parliamentary supplementary grants and expenditure to prove the cut had been effected by the central government. After much of heckling from both the BJP and the Congress, the House passed a resolution for restoration of Rs 86 crore grant-in-aid, representation before the Second Delhi Finance Commission for apportionment of resources between the Chandigarh Administration and the Municipal Corporation, re-look into the Municipal Corporation Act and increase in the powers of the corporation. Giving figures of previous years when grant-in-aid was increased despite a reported decision earlier of an annual cut of 10 per cent, Mr Bansal said the cut this time leads to doubts which Mr Chawla had expressed in the Finance and Contract Committee meeting. The leader of the BJP in the House, Ms Kamla Sharma, while refuting the allegations of the central government playing any hand in the reduction of grants said: ''We managed to get it increased despite the decision to cut it annually''. The BJP, however, picked holes in the Congress style of functioning saying the former could manage the increase through persistent representations at various levels which the Mayor, Ms Lalit Joshi, failed to do despite the Opposition's offer of jointly representing afresh the corporation's case. As soon as the House resumed after offering condolences to those recently killed in Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat, Ms Sharma set a confrontationist tone demanding to place inquiry report against Deputy Mayor Balraj Singh's wife, Usha Rani, lack of development and the Mayor's ''illegal act'' of seeking to rehabilitate those removed from Colony No 5. The issue resulted in chaos in the House with Congress and BJP members seeking to prove each other anti-poor activities, resulting in a loss of two hours. With the heat generated on the Mr Chawla and a firebrand BJP councillor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, engaged in a wordy duel on several occasions demanding from the nominated councillors namely Dr K.S. Raju and Ms Amar Kulwant Singh that procedures of the conduct of the business of the House should be evolved to stop wastage of time. Ms Amar Kulwant Singh suggested an all-party committee to look into the procedures of Assemblies and Parliament to reduce the scope of wastage of time. Mr Gupta sought from the Mayor to consider his contempt notice for not supplying him with information as a member of the Fire Department Recruitment Committee, which was nipped in the bud by Mr Chawla asking under what rule the notice was given. Mr Chawla provoked Ms Kamla Sharma by asking her whether she could justify use of official car as the Chairperson of the Social Welfare Advisory Board in political use. The former Akali Mayor, Ms Harjinder Kaur, and the Chandigarh Vikas Manch leader, Mr Jitender Bhatia, sought to expose the failure of the Mayor in not taking cooperation from all parties in fighting for more funds and informing the House on decisions to meet the Governor and the Adviser, Delhi Finance Commission, in this regard. Mr Bansal and Mr Gupta once again were locked in a wordy duel when the MP without naming anybody said the Congress was not selectively seeking to rehabilitate the people the way ‘’certain’’ people were doing for Rs 5,000 inviting demand from Mr Gupta to reveal the names. Mr Bansal agreed to give Mr Gupta his complaints against certain people in this regard privately. The House authorised the Mayor to form a five-member committee to formulate a policy on encroachment and its monitoring amidst all-round allegations of corruption in the department as well selective removal of poor venders. The criticism surprisingly came from the Municipal Commissioner, who said: ‘’We are defenceless against the acts of Enforcement Wing staff.’’ On the initiation of Congress member Sohan Lal, the House decided to release impounded pigs with a waiver of Rs 50 feed per day as a one-time exemption and submission of affidavits from the pig owners not to bring them back to the city. The House appealed to the Chandigarh Administration to acquire one acre of land in Khuda Lahora for setting up a carcasses utilisation centre, funded 100 per cent by the central government. Ms Harjinder Kaur requested to revive the Resource Generation Committee to tone up the finances apart from jointly representing to all authorities. The House approved cleanliness charges of Rs 200 for area up to 2,000 square yards, Rs 300 for area up to 4,000 square yard and Rs 1,000 for area above 4,000 square yard and referred the matter of deciding the booking charge for a function up to Rs 4,000 to the City Beautification and Environment Committee and identify parks with these rates in a month. The Committee approved 29 posts of drivers. The matter of levying tax on business and government property was referred to the House Tax Committee with Maj-Gen A.S. Kahlon’s (retd) assertion that it should have been routed through the committee as methods adopted were necessary before passing the imposition of two per cent tax on annual rateable value. Mr Kahlon indicated that even rate might have to be adjusted for adopting a method of calculation. The construction of a playground in Mani Majra on an area of eight acres was also approved by the House.
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Protests
mark jhuggis’ demolition Panchkula, May 29 A large number of women made repeated attempts to block the highway in protest against the demolition. However, a large police force deployed here was able to avert the blockade. The protesting women then lied down on the roadside and beating their chests in protest. The residents said they had been issued ration cards by the administration on the address of the colony, electricity meters had been installed at their houses and they were billed at the address of the slum colony. “ This means that the government had regularised our colony. Then why are we being dislodged now? “ rued Lakshmi , another resident of the area. More than 250 jhuggis that had been existing here for the past 30 years were demolished. Almost 1000 persons lost roof over their head. Interestingly, 90 per cent of the slum-dwellers here are regular employees of HUDA . They lamented that the department should have given them time to vacate the land and find an alternative place for residing. The jhuggi-dwellers were completely taken by surprise. “We were served no prior notice by the authorities. They just converged here with the machinery and policemen in riot gear and asked us to vacate our jhuggis within two hours. Most of the menfolk had left for the day’s work and only women and children were left, “ complained Meena, a slum-dweller. The Congress MLA from Kalka, Mr Chander Mohan, visited the spot, while the drive was in force and took up the cause with senior officials of HUDA, including the Administrator, Mr Arun Kumar Gupta, who was visiting the site. However, the HUDA officials remained steadfast and said that legally they were on firm ground with regard to carrying on the demolition in Madrasi Colony. Two JCBs were used to demolish the jhuggis, while almost 100 policemen were on special duty to ensure that law and order was maintained. Women cops had a tough time controlling female residents, who turned violent as the JCBs went about demolishing one hutment after another. According to sources this time utmost secrecy was maintained in the HUDA office about the venue for carrying out today’s drive. This was done following the violent turn of events in Industrial Area where a demolition drive was carried out a few days ago. An employee of HUDA had reportedly led a violent protest against the demolition drive. The HUDA staff was led by the Estate Officer, Ms Geeta Bharti and accompanied by a large police force led by DSP Rajesh Duggal. Officials from the district administration, led by Tehsildar, Mr Ashwani Sharma, are also present on the occasion along with members of the Enforcement Wing of the Estate Office. |
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Jacob turns
focus on child health Chandigarh, May 29 He said the physical standards of children from Punjab were going down due to malnutrition, pollution and junk food. He said we had to take children back to the nature, give them nutritious food to restore the old health standards of Punjabi youth. He asked the Secretary Education to explore the possibility of giving a glass of wholesome milk with Soya supplement to every school going child as a part of midday meal scheme. The Governor asked Deputy Commissioners to use existing mobile dental vans in the districts and suggested them to send them to rural areas to examine children since more than 65 per cent children were suffering from dental disorders. A physiotherapy centre at each district headquarters in Punjab was desired as 90 per cent grant from Ministry of Social Welfare was available for this. He asked the Secretary Health to explore the possibility of opening a centre for spastic children in the state. Expressing concern over the spread of tuberculosis, the Governor said figures of one per cent population of Punjab suffering from the disease did not seem to reflect the true picture, as most of the patients were concealing the disease due to social stigma attached to it. He asked the Director Health to ensure punctuality of doctors in the rural dispensaries, to provide timely medical treatment to the rural population. Doctor Health informed the Governor that during the past one year five polio cases were detected in the state and all belonged to the migrant population. The Governor said there should be no let up in Pulse Polio Programme as the disease had to be eradicated from the face of the earth. He asked the Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, to get necessary clearances for Bal Bhavan at SAS Nagar so that the building could be brought into
operation at the earliest. He said the Bal Bhavan should have a computer centre, a recreation centre for children and a centre for rehabilitation for handicapped children with physiotherapy facilities. Principal Secretary to Governor, Mr S.C. Aggrawal, Deputy Commissioners from 17 districts of Punjab, Secretary Social Welfare, Secretary Education and Director Health were also present at the meeting. |
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200 participate in shramdan Chandigarh, May 29 Besides, 30 regular shramdanis, 25 personnel of Chandigarh Police, 35 NSS students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 23-A, and 105 students of Government Senior Secondary School, Karsan, also attended the shramdan. Breakfast was also provided to the sharmdanis at Satsang Bhawan, Sector 26, here. Meanwhile, Mr Jagtar Singh, District Transport Officer, Panchkula, alongwith his staff participated in shramdan at the Sukhna Lake regulator end yesterday. Fifty NCC students of the 2nd Chandigarh NCC Battalion led by Lieut Col Surinder Kumar participated in the shramdan. As many as 125 students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 18, Chandigarh, took part in shramdan along with their programme officer, Mr Darshan Singh and Ms Ratna. Nearly 100 students from Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 20, Chandigarh, desilted the bed of the lake. The Principal of K.B. DAV, Ms Madhu Bahal, along with teachers and students were also seen doing shramdan. Seventy students from Moti Ram Arya School, Sector 27, here, also took part in the shramdan. M/s Talwar Dairy, Sector 15, served milk to the shramdanis. Religious songs were played at the lake by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (local office) personnel who also held a shabeel and participated in shramdan. Till date 3,51,000 cubic feet of silt has been removed from the bed of the lake.
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EATING OUT CHANDIGARH: What’s an eating out without the all-important drinks? And you want to take your family and friends, too. No problem. The Cellar, the bar and restaurant, at the basement of the Sector 35 Hotel Sheronz endeavours to come to your aid. The ambience is geared towards creating a family-friendly atmosphere. The Cellar, a franchisee of Hot Millions, was one of the first bar-cum-restaurants to come up in the city about two years ago that caters to the “peaceful” drinkers and eaters. Its belief that hard drinks and rowdy behaviour are not always synonymous seems to have been borne out by the Chandigarhians. The fully occupied tables in the late evenings are proof of the fact that social drinking is picking up. men and women no longer feel the need to sip wine and beer in the confines of their homes or at parties only. It’s ok to say cheers with your family and friends in an eatery. And, more important, it’s ok for the wife or the young daughter to share the bubbly. In an effort to make the clients feel at home, the restaurant provides rock music played by the D.J. Enlivening the atmosphere is that assortment of hanging lanterns, lights, tiles, a maze of wrought iron decorations, woodwork and stained glass paintings besides a host of pictures. Colourful flags hanging from the bar add to the riot of colour and material juxtaposed in the small area that gives a feeling of method in madness. This fusion is apparent in their menu, too. So, you have a whole range of cocktails, mocktails and cuisines to choose from. The well-stocked bar boasts of bottled beer (regular and extra strong for and Rs 75 and Rs 85) and draught beer (light and strong for Rs 37 and Rs 42). Whisky comes in regular and premium brands of Seagrams, Red Knight and Peter Scot. For the rum lovers, there is old monk Rs 35) and Bacardi (Rs 45). Gin, Tequila, Vodka (Red Riband, Smirnoff), brandy and scotch are also yours to take, even as Champagne and wines occupy the pride of place at Rs 900 and Rs 700 a bottle, respectively. If you are in the mood to experiment, go in for cocktails that are beer based (shandy, red eye) or vodka based (screw driver, bloody mary etc) or gin based etc. Teetotalers need not despair. They have a choice of mocktails of virgin mary (Rs 55) fruit punch (Rs 60), orange blossom and mango drive. Then there is the staid, ordinary fruit juice, coke, lime, soda, tea and coffee. Complementing these exotic drinks are snacks and quick bites like tikka, kebab, spring rolls, burgers, pizzas, sandwiches and sizzlers. Or, go in for the main course from among Chinese, Continental and Mughlai delectables to be had with
roti or rice and followed up with the desert. The fact that the food comes from the house of Hot Millions should speak for its taste and quality even as the credit for quick service goes to The Cellar.
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Experts
discuss death penalty Chandigarh, May 29 Justice Singh said life is a gift given by God and no authority has the right to take it. Meanwhile, Dr
R. S Grewal, Professor, Law Department, Panjab University, expressing his views in favour of death penalty said”, Morality is a value system which society has to follow and public opinion is the strongest base for formulating and confirming the law.” He added that death penalty is not immoral. Death penalty provides order, protection and social fear, and it deters the society not to commit heinous crimes. Mr
R. S Cheema, an advocate, said “if you are not able to create life, you have no right to take it”. Death penalty is a terror and terror cannot be the base for providing justice. Mr Jasdev Singh Rai, coordinator, Sikh Human Rights Group (SHRG), said the law needs to eradicate the colonial attitude. Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s rule was an exception in history, when no death penalty was granted. |
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Rain brings down temperature
Chandigarh, May 29 The city and its surrounding areas were also lashed by heavy rain overnight. It had received 30 mm of rain until this morning even as the sky remained partially overcast throughout the day. In Punjab, reports of rain were received from Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala. Ambala in Haryana had rain at 9.2 mm. Shimla, Sundernagar and Bhunter in Himachal Pradesh also received rain during the past 24 hours. The capital town Shimla had a rainfall of 15.5 mm and the minimum dropped to a chilling 10.5° degree celsius. “Today’s change in the weather in the region is due to three weather systems. An upper air cyclonic circulation over Punjab and adjoining Himachal this morning. Another such circulation was over west Rajasthan and another one over south west Uttar Pradesh adjoining south Haryana. Its effect is likely to continue for atleast another 24 hours,” Director of the Meteorological Department S.C. Bhan said. The Met office has forecast moderate to rather heavy rain at many places in Himachal and Haryana with light to moderate rain at a few places in Punjab during the next 24 hours. Thunder squalls with wind speed exceeding 45 kmph are also likely in the region during the next 48 hours, it said. In Hisar, two youths aged 18 and 20 were rescued timely from the debris of a house that collapsed under the impact of high velocity squalls and incessant 71 mm rains overnight. Many a low lying areas were flooded with two to three feet rain waters which entered several houses while several localities were plunged into darkness following the snapping of overhead electricity wires. The mercury in the minimum plumetted by eight degrees below normal to 17.8°. PTI
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READERS WRITE This is a small note of thanks to The Tribune for having taken up the cause of harassed patients at the hands of the incharge of Panjab University dispensary, Chandigarh. In his letter (Chandigarh Tribune, March 31), Mr M. S. Gill had raised the issue of harassment of a senior retired employee of the university in getting his medical reimbursement bills passed. After this letter was published, the “objections” imposed on his reimbursement bills have been removed and his bills have been passed. This has become possible only because of the intervention of The Tribune. The incharge of the dispensary had tried to mislead the authorities and employees by sidestepping the core issue of pick-and-choose policy adopted for reimbursement. Sometime back, it was The Tribune which had carried a report that Panjab University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Pathak, had applied for reimbursement of his medical bills after a bypass surgery when he was not the Vice-Chancellor. The bills were not cleared for a long time. However, these were sanctioned miraculously once he took over as the Vice-Chancellor! The incharge of the dispensary had sarcastically wanted to know in her rejoinder in Chandigarh Tribune if there was the rule of the jungle on matters relating to reimbursement of medical bills. I must say, Yes! When havenots of the university are being harassed in this regard, just because they have no value, there is the rule of the jungle. If this pick-and-choose policy based on blatant sycophancy is what dictates the sanction of someone’s medical reimbursement, then yes, it is the rule of the jungle that prevails. Instead of showing concern and care for the patients and the aged, the authorities cause them great harassment and difficulty by withholding their medical bills. Making the sick and the old visit the dispensary again and again for reimbursement of their bills is a criminal act. Later, when the Press takes up the issue, out of fear of exposure, the authorities pass the bills to hush up the matter. If this is not the rule of the jungle, then what is it? Do these authorities not realise that some day soon, they too will grow old? Then they would be at the mercy of the likes of themselves. Will they be able to digest such treatment for themselves? For the love of humanity and the fear of God, I beseech the dispensary incharge to be a little less inhuman. MANINDER SINGH ,Chandigarh Defence
pension adalat A Mini Defence Pension Adalat will be held on June 19, 2002 at DPDO’s office, 1076, Sector 36 C, Chandigarh, for spot redressal of grievances regarding sanction\ disbursement\ remittance of pension by DPDO, Chandigarh. Representations on the specific nature of grievance in writing in triplicate indicating the PPO Number, Name, Registration Number, TS\PS\HO Number and complete latest postal address may please be submitted to The Pension Adalat C/o DPDO, 1076, Sector 36 C, Chandigarh, latest by May 31, 2002. Every effort will be made by the authorities to redress the grievances during the Mini Defence Pension Adalat. Defence Pension Bravo, The Tribune! Some newspapers have started a new kind of publicity in Chandigarh with a view to boosting their circulation. They have reduced their cover price on week days to Re 1 per copy. Recently, I saw some smart boys and girls distributing free copies of their newspaper. They were also distributing cashewnuts to motorists free of cost. I sincerely feel this kind of publicity to boost the sales of newspapers is not healthy. A newspaper can become popular among its readers only on the basis of its contents, coverage and editorials. I have been a regular reader of The Tribune for the last 46 years. I cannot change The Tribune, my newspaper, even if somebody offers me some other newspaper free of cost. I do hope that The Tribune will maintain its quality and distinction in the years to come. Bravo, The Tribune! JAGDISH LAL,
Shift local courts It is not correct to suggest that the local courts should not be shifted from Ambala cantonment. The latter is not only the most important town of Haryana but also the biggest cantonment of the country. The judicial courts have been there for the last 75 years. The then District and Sessions Judge, Ambala, had temporarily shifted these courts at the Sessions Court complex on September 24, 1990 as the records were set afire on September 21, 1990 by miscreants during the anti-Mandal agitation. The courts are more for the convenience of people than lawyers and Judges. The cardinal principle of ‘bringing justice to the doorsteps of people’ is not being implemented for the people of Ambala cantonment and surrounding villages as they are forced to go to Ambala city for court work, spending a lot of money for conveyance and other incidentals. The suggestion for shifting the judicial courts at Ambala cantonment along with the Sessions Court at Ambala city to the new building is not sound and constructive because the new judicial complex is far off from the Sessions Court complex where the Ambala cantonment courts are functioning. Shifting of courts will cause untold hardship to the people of Ambala cantonment as they will be forced to cross the bridge on the highway. It is noteworthy that successive presidents of the Ambala cantonment’s Bar Association have been demanding that the judicial courts should be shifted back to Ambala cantonment. Also, over the years, all MLAs, past and present, have demanded the shifting of courts to a suitable building at Ambala cantonment. When I was the president of the bar association, after a meeting between the then Sessions Judge of Ambala, Mr Surinder Singh and the then Deputy Commissioner of Ambala, Ms Navraj Sandhu, the authorities had approved a site measuring 5,100 square yards near Football Chowk, Ambala cantonment. Suffice it to mention that this site earmarked for the construction of the judicial courts complex at Ambala cantonment was formally approved by the Chief Justice and other Judges of Punjab and Haryana High Court vide letter no. 13661, dated April 26, 2002. MOHAN LAL
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Rights
body to educate residents Zirakpur, May 29 At the meeting, the members decided to educate residents of the area about their rights and urge them to come forward with their grievances against the administration, police and others so that these could be taken up with the authorities concerned. Col Pandher asked the members of the local unit to educate the residents of the area at the grass-root level. He also asked the members to hold meetings with the villagers from time to time to make them aware of their constitutional rights too. Those who attended the meeting include Mr Anil Kaushik, chairman, AIHRW, and Mr Gurmeet Singh, general secretary, Col S.S. Sandhu, president of the local unit of the Human Rights Watch, among others.  |
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PCMS body flays
govt decision Chandigarh, May 29 Dr M.S. Randhawa, Dr D.S. Gill and Dr Manjit Singh, patron, president and general secretary of the association, respectively in a joint statement described the decision as “wrong, illegal and socially unjust”. The affected persons were not given adequate opportunity to explain their position. The association said there were only 11 doctors who faced the allegation of using influence and other means during the selection process. There was no justification in terminating the services of the other 839 doctors. |
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BIS invites entries for quality award Chandigarh, May 29 The awards, numbering four — one each for large and small manufacturers, one for service sector and one for best of all — are given annually to generate interest and involvement of Indian industry in quality programmes, to drive the BIS products and services to higher levels of quality to effectively meet the challenges of domestic and international markets, according to Ms Renuka B. Salwan, Deputy Director, BIS. |
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Summer
camp for children Panchkula, May 29 This was announced by the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Jyoti Arora here today. She said child artists from the district would teach the participants glass painting, gift wrapping, to make envelopes, carry home bags, collage,
rangoli, flower arrangements and to dance. A 15-day workshop on painting will also be organised by the council in collaboration with the district artistes association at Bal Bhavan and there will be a separate package for children below 10 years of age and above 10 years. Later, a national painting competition will also be organised on July 10 here. |
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Refresher
course concludes Panchkula, May 29 The Deputy Commissioner, Ms Jyoti Arora, addressed the workers on the concluding day and directed them to identify children with special needs so that suitable action could be taken for dealing with them. An exhibition of items prepared by trainees was displayed at the centre. She said Anganwari buildings in villages would be repaired. |
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Prof
S. K. Sharma recovering Chandigarh, May 29 |
Police likely to register FIR in poisoning case Chandigarh, May 29 On May 20, Ms Sumita Devi (30), a resident of Kansal village (Kharar), had alleged before the UT police that her two brothers-in -law had attempted to kill her life by forcing her to take some poisonous substance near Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat that day. The police carried out investigations and later forwarded the report to the Ropar police. The police was of the view that the crime had taken place in the jurisdiction of the Ropar police. However, sources informed that a case is likely to be registered in the Police Station North. An inquiry was conducted into the allegation by Mr Baldev Singh, Superintendent of Police (City). The SP submitted the report to the DIG and a case will be registered after receiving the nod from the DIG. But sources in the police informed that the investigation report was sent to the Ropar police as the complainant and the accused are residents of Kansal and have a history of feuds. When contacted, Mr Baldev Singh said, ‘‘We informed the Ropar police about the case so that they could also look into the matter’’.
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Inter-state gang of robbers busted Panchkula, May 29 Devinder Singh, alias Shita, Raj Kumar, Jitendra, Harjit Singh, Amar Pal, Kulwinder Singh, Jatinder and Amar Nath were arrested by the Pinjore police late last night from near Rampur Jangi village and stolen goods worth over Rs 5 lakh recovered from them. A country-made pistol, two live catridges, an air pistol, iron rods and sticks , and wire cutters were also recovered from them. It is learnt that the gang was operating in Ambala , Ludhiana and Sriganganagar and was also engaged in various highway robberies in the three states. They had been active for the past more than one year. Besides stealing vehicles and looting people, they were also involved in stealing aluminium wires from the electricity poles on state highways in Punjab and Haryana. At least 12 cases of theft and burglary have been solved with the arrest of the robbers. A truck, a Tata 407, a motorcycle and large quantity of aluminium wire were recovered from them. While Devendra and Jitendra have been sent to police remand till June 2, the rest of them have been sent to judicial remand. Caught
red-handed: The police arrested a meter reader, Sushil Kumar, while accepting a bribe of Rs 500 from an industrialist at Abheypur village on Wednesday. It is learnt that the accused, posted with Division VII of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, had been demanding a bribe from the industrialist, Mr Jaspal Singh, for quite some time. The latter complained to the Deputy Commissioner , Ms Jyoti Arora. A trap was laid for the accused and he was nabbed. A case under Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered. Accused
held: The police has arrested a proclaimed offender, Maya Ram, in a case of rash and negligent driving causing grievous injuries registered against him two years ago. The accused is a truck driver and had hit a Maruti car on Nalagarh road in 1999. He was arrested from Banur. Two injured:
Two girls — Palak and Neha — were injured when a scooter they were riding pillion with their father was hit by a canter ( HR- 68- 0596). A case under Sections 279, 336 and 337 of the IPC has been registered. Burglary:
Cash and jewellery worth Rs 10,000 was stolen from the house of Mr Vijay Chaudhary in Sector 15 yesterday. The family members were away at the time of the incident. A case under Section 454 and 380 of the IPC has been registered. CHANDIGARH Jewellery
stolen: Mr Sangeet Singla of Sector 38 reported to the police that two gold bangles, two gold rings, two sets of gold earing, three silver tumblers, a silver anklet and Rs 9,800 were stolen from his residence sometime between May 24 to May 26. The residents were away at the time of the theft. Another theft took place at the house of Mr Kiran Kumar Khanna, a resident of Sector 23. The thieves reportedly took away two watches, a mobile phone, an SIM card, a cheque book and Rs 2500 from the house yesterday, in between 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. Dowry
harassment: Ms Poonam Tuli, a resident of Sector 30, complained to the police that she was being harassed and maltreated by her husband to bring more dowry. She is married to Ajay Kumar Tuli, a resident of Sector 37. A case under Sections 406 and 498-A of the IPC has been registered. SAS NAGAR Beaten: Mr Bhagwant Singh, a resident of Phase V, has complained to the police that Mr Sukhdev Singh, a resident of Raghumajra village of Patiala district, came to his house and threatened him. Mr Bhagwant Singh alleged that he was also beaten up. The police has registered a case under Section 323, 452 and 34 of the IPC in this regard. Cheating: The police has registered a case against Jatin Sinha for producing fake chokes and seals of the Reynolds company. Jatin Sinha runs his business in the Phase 1 Kamla Market. A case has been registered under Sections 420, 468, 469 and 76 of the IPC. |
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Woman commits suicide Dera Bassi, May 29 According to the police, the deceased, Babita Devi, and her husband, Sakal Dev Prasad, hailing from Bihar, were residing in the village for the past some years. The police said that Mr Prasad found the door of a room bolted from inside when he came downstairs this morning. He had opted to sleep on the terrace yesterday night while Babita preferred to stay inside. After getting suspicious, Mr Prasad informed the police and the door of the room was broken open. The body was later sent to the Civil Hospital Rajpura for postmortem examination. |
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Demand to repair industrial area roads Chandigarh, May 29 In a statement issued here, Mr A.L. Aggarwal, general secretary of the chamber, said the roads in the industrial area were in extremely bad shape. The roads leading to various units had developed potholes. The patch-work on these potholes had not lasted long due to poor quality of material used. The approach roads near the CITCO depot and the Punjab Roadways workshop had two to three feet deep potholes. Transportation, the lifeline of these industries, was thus adversely affected. Although main roads around the units had been carpeted, the carpeting of inner approach roads in the area had not been done for the past 15 years. Driving on the roads had become risky, he said. “The matter is discussed at every single window committee meeting chaired by the Director, Industries, Chandigarh, but no decision is taken to carpet the inner roads of the industrial area. Officers from the Municipal Corporation express their inability to carry out proper patchwork and carpeting or roads due to non-availability of funds. The member units of this association are upset over the fact that though the maximum revenue contribution to the administration comes from the industry, yet the funds allocated for the upkeep of roads in the industrial area were inadequate. The Municipal Corporation is indifferent towards the development of industrial area because it is not represented by any councillor of the Municipal Corporation”, he alleged. |
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Report
on trolley buses submitted Chandigarh, May 29 The UT Home Secretary-cum-Transport Secretary, Mr R.S. Gujral, said the contents of the report were under study and would be known by the next week. According to sources, the BHEL has sought exclusive routes to run these buses in the city. It has also said the project was not viable unless concessions were given to operate buses on the routes. The report also says people in Chandigarh are not used to the concept of public transport, thus better infrastructure needs to be created.
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Chandigarh Offer: Godfrey Phillips India, manufacturers of Four Square, have come out with a Four Square Smooth Tracks offer. The consumer can collect four packs of Four Square Kings, Four Square Special or Four Square Premier and redeem them for the “smooth track” music cassette or CD from selected redemption centres. Additionally, the consumer will be required to pay Rs 20 for smooth tracks cassette and Rs 60 for CD. The offer is open till June 30. TNS Offer: Pepe Jeans has made an offer to customers to buy Pepe Jeans or Khaki Deluxe merchandise worth Rs 1,450 and get a combo pack of a deodorant and an army knife free. TNS
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